MUSEUM OF LIVING NATURE (ST. PETERSBURG ZOO)

1 Alexandrovsky Park 197198 St. Petersburg
Open daily: 10am - 7pm
Tel. 232-4828, 232-8260
Nearest metro station: Gorkovskaya

St. Petersburg's zoo is justly considered a museum: it is a cultural, educational and scientific centre in which both wild and domestic animals are kept, exhibited and studied. It was founded in 1865 by the animal lovers S. and Yu. Gerhardt on the basis of public menageries.

The Zoo was nationalized after the 1917 revolution. During the Nazi siege of Leningrad it was heavily damaged but continued to operate in summer. At present, over 1.700 animals and birds, representing 400 species, are kept in the Zoo. Here you will find lions, tigers, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, polar and brown bears, wolves and many other animals. A separate area for cubs is always popular with children. The Zoo s currently under reconstruction.